New York

Folks, first let us address all that was positive about the India Day parade in Manhattan August 21. 

Thousands converged on Madison Avenue in Manhattan, waving the Indian flags and chanting Bharat Mata ki jai marking the 36^th annual India Day Parade, celebrating the 70^th anniversary of India's independence.

Hundreds of people marched in the colorful parade while thousands of others, including mainstream Americans, gathered on both sides of Madison Avenue from 38^th Street to 25^th Street to cheer on the marchers and the floats. It was a show of strength and a salute to the diverse culture of India.

Bollywood star Abhishek Bachchan was the Grand Marshall, and his presence created some buzz. Acharya Baba Ramdev, who popularized yoga all over the world, was the guest of honor and was also a big draw. Consul General Riva Ganguly Das and leaders of the Federation of Indian Associations, New York (FIA-NY) led the parade and greeted the people.

Bachchan said he was amazed at the turnout and the enthusiasm of the people for India. He also thanked the community in the US for the support it gave artists like him.

He noted that he had attended the parade 19 years ago in 1997 when his father Amitabh Bachchan, was the Grand Marshal celebrating the 50^th anniversary of India's Independence. 'It is a great honor to be here and represent the beautiful nation of ours,' he said.

Amitabh tweeted, "And this Abhishek in New York a short while ago... Grand Marshall for the India Day Parade in Manhattan NYC, USA. A proud moment... I was appointed the same years ago... now son follows.”

Baba Ramdev pointed out that the world recognizes India's strength and its contributions in various fields. He noted that India is moving forward with spirituality and modernism to greater glory.

As for yoga, he said it was not mere physical exercise but a way of living which promotes non-violence and harmony.

American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (AAPI) TV Asia, Parikh Worldwide Media, and Royal Albert's Broadcasting Network along with Air India and others came out with colorful floats. Manning the Air-India float were people dressed as crew members, including a pilot, all in official outfits.

As earlier, the Brahma Kumaries, dressed in white, marched in large numbers, carrying billboards and calling for peace and respect for all.

True to the secular spirit of the country, Christians from Tamil Nadu carried the statue of Arogya Mata of Velankanni while Jains marched advocating ahimsa and noting that Gandhiji was inspired by it.

Shalli Kumar from Chicago came out with a float under the banner of the Republican Hindu Coalition supporting Donald Trump. It carried the photos of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and several Hindu leaders, too.

The New York Fire Department joined the parade with two fire trucks – an antique one in pristine condition, and a spanking new one – and an ambulance with several members of New York's bravest marching. Fire Department Commissioner Danile Negro announced his own support for Indian culture in a banner. It was an impressive show.

Police officers belonging to the Indian Officers Association at the NYPD joined the event in sizable numbers. It is a new organization after officers of Indian origin lost control of the original desi organization. A larger number of young men in police uniforms showed that there has been a welcome change in our community as well as in the police.

The Overseas Friends of BJP marched in the parade but the opposition Indian National Overseas Congress was not on view this time. Marchers from Telangana did carry a photo of Congress president Sonia Gandhi, thanking her for the formation of Telangana, a state carved out of Andhra Pradesh. It played a role in the party losing both states in the Lok Sabha elections!

George Abraham, chairman of the Indian National Overseas Congress, said, “The INOC salutes India on its 70th anniversary of  independence and also pays tribute those who sacrificed so much for the freedom and the dignity the people of India now enjoy. We are especially grateful to Indian National Congress which has led the way and secured the freedom and the individual liberty for all of us.”

The Keralite and Sikh communities appeared to have kept away. Usually, Kerala organizations such as Fokana and Fomaa march in the parade. Last week, most of them participated in the first ever parade in Queens, a borough of New York City. It was the first time, New York City had two parades to celebrate India's Independence Day.

Sunderlal Gandhi came dressed as Mahatma Gandhi for the eighth year. The 83-year-old Gandhi, a retired Central Government official who moved to the US about 15 years ago, had met his better-known namesake twice and become a lifelong Gandhian. Many people crowded around the American Gandhi and took photos with him. He said he came dressed as Gandhi to create awareness about that icon of the non-violent movement. And yet, he said he does not want to say anything about problems endemic in India, such as corruption, and that his words have no relevance.

That was all that was really good about the program. Now for the problematic:

Well, it was boring. One needs to see just one India Day parade in his life time and, with minor variations, you have seen them all. Nothing changes, not even the organizers!

The cardboard billboards, yellowed with age, were unpacked and saw the sun again, and most likely will see light again next year.

What are we showcasing to the mainstream Americans with theses billboards? What kind of India or Indian culture are we showing? What is original or creative about it? Who wants to see the same tired slogans again?

The replica of Taj Mahal displayed on a company's float is welcome, even if it has been exhibited for many years. But there have been no replicas of famous temples, historic monuments, a depiction of locales there, a statue or even a cut-out of such leaders as the Buddha or someone like the Mahatma, who are well known in America.

It seems the organizers and community lacked imagination and creativity. The parade aims to showcase Indian culture to the American people and also empower our community, but relies on an excess of noise and color. What have we gained from it?

Organizers may trumpet that tens of thousands marched on Madison Avenue making it a historic event. The fact is, fewer people came this year than last year. The Grand Marshall, Abhishek Bachchan did not generate the same excitement as his father Amitabh Bachchan once did, or Shahrukh Khan, Salman Khan, Priyanka Chopra or Deepika Padukone could have done.

This year the stalls were moved to the 26^th Street, which could not handle the crowd, smaller though it was this time. Stalls were set up on both sides of the street, with barely a few feet for people to shuffle and squeeze their way through.

The stage was set up near 25^th Street unlike in earlier years when it was set up near 23^rd Street, leaving two blocks for stalls and the width of Madison Avenue for the crowd.

People also complained that the parade ended abruptly and unceremoniously.

Dr Thomas Abraham, founder of FIA noted earlier about the need for creativity for the parade, “To make it more successful and colorful, organizers should bring in floats of various community groups. That is how the whole parade got started in 1981, ie all major community groups had their floats and a large number of their members marched in the parade. In the last several years, there have been more floats from commercial organization and businesses.

“We should have them, too. However, emphasis should be on showcasing the best of India – its art forms, music and culture – to the American society.

“The parade is a great effort to provide a positive exposure of the community, to say we are here and that we are a dynamic community. The parade projects the strength and unity of Indian Americans, even when we are a diverse group of people originating from India, with the second and third generations now adding to our diversity.

“Politicians and the media have been making a note of our parade ,which has built up a better image for the community and India,” Abraham said.

From www.dlatimes.com